Cyber Tales - Story behind cyber security stories

Can Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa make a huge purchase you don't want? Could they record your conversations without your knowledge? Will they read your emails, and accidentally send out sensitive messages to your personal and professional contacts? We explore these big security concerns, and more, to figure out if you are trading convenience for security when you use an AI-driven digital assistant. Tune into this podcast, and lear...

Are your private photos being uploaded to Russian servers? You might be at risk if you are one of the 80 million users of the popular application FaceApp. A software developer recently claimed that if you downloaded FaceApp, the software would immediately vacuum up every photo on your phone and store them on Russian servers. Scary, isn't it? We sat down with our experts to explore these claims. Tune into this podcast to see if you ...

Are you about to become a prime target for hackers? Cybercriminals have slowed their attacks on individuals, and they are now launching fewer direct attacks on corporate networks. Instead, they have begun to focus their attacks on a few key leadership roles at high-value enterprises. Have you received more direct attacks against your corporate email addresses, profiles, and accounts? Have you already been compromised? Tune into thi...

Is Google using Chrome to get at your data? With the biggest share of the browser market, your shiny Chrome app could have a dark side that puts your confidential information in danger. For better or for worse, Google is everywhere and so is its Chrome software. But while Google has been beating the drum about making life easier for Chrome users, privacy issues have been surfacing. Have you been affected by Chrome's automatic login...

If data is the new oil, Google has some of the biggest refineries in the world. Raw data in, insights and analysis out, but what about privacy and confidentiality? Google information also powers advertising designed to target you as an individual. How? By using your personal data, preferences, and often many more of your intimate details. Trust is just one issue. Monopolistic practices, data snooping, and unauthorized data sharing ...

Personally Identifiable Information or PII can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Phishing, identity theft, and cyber extortion are just some of the threats. But how much do you think about data security when using chauffeuring services like Uber? Join us in this podcast to find out about the policies for data retention and the security issues that affect you directly, and your rights regarding data deletion. With our panel of expert...

Have you received threatening email recently? You're not alone. We talk about how it happens and what you can do to stop it affecting you. First, find out about even supposedly reputable Internet actors that make it difficult for you to protect your privacy. Get the lowdown on the way that password and email files are hacked and resold for phishing scams. Hear about how malware can worm its way into your PC or mobile. Then listen a...

Are mobile banking apps safe? We discuss app risks and threats that could seriously affect your banking well-being if you don't watch out for them. We also run through the differences between mobile and desktop banking, and why the banking sector may be making a rod for its own back by trying to be too helpful to customers using mobiles. Find out with us how to avoid pitfalls like downloading fake apps and see how to identify authe...

There may be far more of you, personally, on the web than you think. In this podcast, we discuss how social media giants and other popular internet firms collect huge amounts of data… on you! Ostensibly, they do this to better know you and meet your needs. However, the danger is in the abuse of that data. The Facebook - Cambridge Analytica case is still echoing in cyberspace. On a brighter note, however, data privacy is being reinf...

Roll up, roll up, online buyers and sellers! We dive into the world of Amazon to see if users are adequately protected in their transactions. While the online retailing leader has several built-in safeguards, there are still ways that users can game the system. Is your credit card safe? Can you trust product reviews? What should you look for in Amazon product pages to pick products and vendors most likely to meet your needs, honest...

Election rigging hit the news recently, with horror stories of the Cambridge Analytica company exploiting data on 50 million people, all from a quiz-master using Facebook. We tell you how that quiz data was used to produce psychographic profiles whose tentacles stretched back into Facebook's huge database of links and Likes. How it was made ready for manipulation of behavior in key votes and referendums. Has social media therefore ...

A bitcoin and blockchain information bonanza awaits you in this podcast. To find out what's really going on and what you can, should or cannot do, we've invited our special guest Narayan Neelakantan, the co-founder and CEO of Block Armour. Listen to Narayan tell it like it is, including why banks are now so interested in blockchain and what's at stake security-wise when buying digital currency. He also explains how sneaky operators...

How much does your grocer know about you, or your travel agent, or your taxi driver? If you're buying and booking online, it could be a lot more than you think. In this month's podcast, we look at the impact of ecommerce on our data privacy. Buying preferences, personal profile, it can all be analyzed to second-guess what you want to purchase next. Or, as in the current Facebook data sharing scandal, for figuring out how you plan t...

This month's podcast covers drones that won't leave you alone, real-world holdups to rob people of virtual currency, the fight against fake news, and updates on that hot digital potato, Aadhaar. Despite government guidelines and best practices, Aadhaar still has significant fear, uncertainty and doubt to contend with. Recent events like government gas subsidies being automatically gobbled up by Airtel bank accounts don't help its r...

Which is scarier, malware that figures out your behaviour and adapts to it, or your Aadhaar number out on the web for all to see? In this podcast, we discuss both possibilities and recent events connected with them. We also run through a few of the things designed to protect your Aadhaar personal information. They include random number generation, biometrics, and last but not least, your right to privacy! Join us and find out more,...

As we move into 2018, we look at how the privacy and security wars are likely to be fought. Will users ever be safe from criminal hacking AND government snooping? At least one mega-messaging platform is trying right both those wrongs, while a social media leader just upped the stakes against social engineering. We also look back on winners and losers of 2017. For those who got burned, there are lessons to be learned. Biometrics, ma...